Endoscopic diagnosis of gastrointestinal melanoma

Abstract

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) melanoma can be diagnosed by endoscopy combined with biopsy and subsequent pathological examination. However, the disease may be misdiagnosed due to the limited awareness of GI melanoma.

Objective: We aimed to describe characteristics of GI melanoma that can be detected by endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with GI melanoma diagnosed by endoscopic biopsy or postoperative pathology between August 2008 and January 2017. Images of endoscopic examinations, including endoscopy and EUS, were reviewed to characterize GI melanomas.

Results: A total of 21 patients (9 males, 12 females) with GI melanoma were enrolled in this study. Several types of melanoma were identified: anorectal melanoma (n = 15), esophageal melanoma (n = 3), gastric melanoma (n = 2), and melanoma of the small intestine (n = 1). EUS was performed for one case of esophageal melanoma, one case of gastric melanoma, and seven cases of anorectal melanoma.

Conclusions: GI melanoma is a rare disease. Most GI melanomas showed typical endoscopic manifestations, including black plaques. EUS is a reliable tool for evaluating the depth of infiltration of GI melanoma.

Keywords:

• Melanoma
• digestive tract
• endoscopy
• endoscopic ultrasound
• mucosal melanoma

Acknowledgments

Guarantor of the article: Pro Sheng Wang is accepting full responsibility for the conduct of the study.

Specific author contributions: Author contributions: Sheng Wang and Siyu Sun were involved in the study conception and design; Sheng Wang drafted the article and analyzed and interpreted the data; Xiang Liu, Sheng Wang, Guoxin Wang, Wen Liu and Jinlong Hu performed the endoscopic procedure and statistical analysis; Sheng Wang, Nan Ge and Jintao Guo conducted the EUS imaging evaluation; all authors provided approval of the final article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This article was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 81470908].